Reframing Depression
Sometimes it’s hard to know whether depression starts with a feeling or a set of thoughts. The fog can seem to roll in out of the blue, or it can follow something clearly difficult, such as a significant loss. For some people, it creeps in gradually; for others it feels sudden and unexplained. What science is clear on is this: depression doesn’t have a single cause. And it isn’t simply a matter of low serotonin levels, despite how often that idea is repeated. How the serotonin story took hold The idea that depression was caused by a serotonin deficit gained traction alongside the introduction of SSRIs. Pharmaceutical marketing played a major role in popularising the concept of a “chemical imbalance,” often framed as too little of a happy hormone. I remember the excitement well. As a medical journalist, I attended the press launches and scientific meetings. There was a genuine sense of progress, a clear biological explanation paired with an effective treatment, and of course, lots of money for
